This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the University of Hawaii, and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to develop coral reef mapping methods and compare benthic habitat maps generated by photointerpreting georeferenced color aerial photography, hyperspectral and IKONOS satellite imagery. The enhanced spectral resolution of hyperspectral and control of bandwidths of multispectral data yield an advantage over color aerial photography particularly when coral health and time series analysis of coral reef community structure are of interest. Depending on the type of instrument, a spectral imaging system can be utilized to see multiple colors from ultraviolet through the far infrared range. The AURORA hyperspectral imaging system collected 72 ten nm bands in the visible and near infrared spectral range with a 3 meter pixel resolution. The data was processed to select band widths, which optimized feature detection in shallow and deep water. Photointerpreters can accurately and reliably delineate boundaries of features in the imagery as they appear on the computer monitor using a software interface such as the Habitat Digitizer.
The National Ocean Service is conducting research to digitally map biotic resources and coordinate a long-term monitoring program that can detect and predict change in U.S. coral reefs, and their associated habitats and biological communities.
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All habitat delineations were completed by a photointerpreter on data that had been processed only to maximize specific band widths for viewing data at varying depths.
Habitat delineations could be made accurately in water depths up to 30 meters. Band combinations were selected which optimized benthic habitat information in shallow and deep water and the scenes were converted into RGB composites. The shallow band IDs and centers were configured as: 1) Band 17 at 508.319 nm 2) Band 22 at 547.918 nm 3) Band 27 at 605.516 nm The deep band IDs and centers were configured as: 1) Band 11 at 450.001 nm 2) Band 22 at 547.918 nm 3) Band 33 at 663.835 nm
The hyperspectral imagery were obtained at a 3 meter pixel resolution
The hyperspectral image data were collected using the AURORA Hyperspectral Imaging data acquisition system (Advanced Power Technologies, Inc). Navigation data were incorporated using the Applanix inertial navigation system. The imaging system was used to collect 72 ten nm bands in the visible and near infrared spectral range at a three meter pixel resolution.
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The raw data were processed by the Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC using Research Systems, Inc. ENVI software. Band combinations were selected which optimized benthic habitat information in shallow and deep water and the scenes were converted into RGB composites. The hyperspectral images were georeferenced and mosaiced using Scene Stitcher, a stand-alone software program produced by Advanced Power Technologies, Inc.
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NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NODC cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) produced this data CD-ROM. NCCOS Biogeography Program does not guarantee the accuracy of the geographic features or attributes.
A flightline containing hyperspectral imagery will have two separate image files representing a subset of 6 bands from the 72 original bands collected. File naming convention is as follows 'flightline number-date(s) acquired-hyperspectral or airphoto imagery'. Hyperspectral flightline files will end in either 272217 or 332211 representing the band number in the respective file. Band numbers equate to the following spectral wavelength in nanometers: 27-605.51991, 22- 556.918030, 17- 508.319000, 33- 663.835022, and 11- 450.001007. These approximate true-color band combinations were chosen to highlight shallow (272217) and deep (332211) water benthic features. Note that the resolution of the georeferenced imagery has been degraded significantly to reduce file size and facilitate internet viewing.
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